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City Picker: Grow Tomatoes on your Porch, Patio or Deck

City Picker

A few years back, a friend raved about an Earth Box, a self-contained planting system for vegetables. I’m not sure if they were hard to come by at the time, but I never stumbled across one in any of the garden centers I frequent, or I simply didn’t take the time to look.

Our raised beads spread out across the back of our house in past years, but they were too close together making it challenging to get around them without getting your foot caught between them. When we refurbished our back yard this winter, we widened the path in front of the beds, to make room for our summer pumpkin vines. We added gravel, since part of that area isn’t easily plant-able due to pipes, irrigation shut off valves, the electric box, etc. It was a great place for a chair in the cooler months, with the sun reflecting heat off the side of the house. Hoping to capture that trapped heat for our tomatoes this summer, I went looking for an Earth Box. What I found instead was a City Picker, virtually identical in every way, but almost double in width.

City Picker’s are perfect for urban gardeners, since they are a fully contained system in a portable box. The planting box comes with casters, a ventilation tray, a watering tube and plastic mulch. You can roll it around your patio or deck to maximize sun, while at the same time containing the mess. No need to worry about watering your downstairs neighbor!

Here is our setup:

1.5 CU FT. Organic Potting Mix

Dolomite Lime and Fertilizer

Fully assembled City Picker

Fill with potting mix to about two inches below the topAdd a thin layer of Dolomite

Organic Fertilizer:Make a two-inch trough in the center of the boxAdd three cups of organic fertilizer

Mound Potting Mix:Cover fertilizer with mix, about one inch above the box

Plastic Mulch:Cover with the elasticized plastic mulchClip in place with the enclosed binder clips

Cut Holes in Plastic Mulch:Cut a hole for the irrigation pipeCut additional holes and plant seeds/seedlings

Ready to Grow

I’ve provided links for the Earth Box and the City Picker for feature comparisons. Please let me know if you’ve tried one in the past, or if you plan to set one up this season.

Try tomatoes. They are delicious when you grow your own. The biggest nemesis is tobacco horn worm aka tomato worm, something you can probably avoid with these planting boxes. One of my passions over the summers is pulling a warm, fresh tomato off the vine and eating it on the spot (we grow organic). Yum!

Yes!! There’s nothing like a homegrown tomato eaten immediately after picking! I literally crave them. So far, I’ve yet to plant my own, and have relied on the generosity of my parents’ flourishing crop.

How nice to have a direct source! Our friend Laura’s dad supplied us with some amazing heirloom tomatoes last summer. Once you’ve had tomatoes from a garden, you realize how far we’ve strayed from fresh food in the interest of appearance. Supermarket tomatoes look pretty, but are usually flavorless.

The horn worms got me last season. Even with using this container. Almost destroyed my tomatoes. I had to end up applying some gardening insecticide to get rid of them. I was able to save my tomato plant and I grew more tomatoes later in the season.

My folks do have a large yard, and just planted their vegetable garden for this season. Everything seems to grow well there. They live relatively close, say, compared to where you live, but at approximately 40 miles, it’s far enough that I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like. When oh when will teleportation ever become a reality???

We will be planting a fall garden (lettuce, kale, chard and some herbs) from seed using the City Pickers. We are wondering if you have any advice. Did the mulch cover cause any problems with seed germination? Should we leave it off until the seeds sprout – then cut and add. Or does it work just fine from the start.

The City Picker worked well from the start. If you follow the instructions to the letter, you should be successful. I planted seeds on one side, three starter tomatoes on the other. I cut slashes on both side of the plantings (of course I had to do that for the small plants, but I did it for the seeds too. What’s been great is the ability to move it. When my pumpkins started to take over, I simply wheeled it to a new spot. Good luck and have fun!

Great! Thanks so much for getting back to us. I saw the pictures of how you arranged the plants and seeds but wondered how your seed germination turned out. We just received our seeds from Seed Savers Exchange – very excited to see how well these work! Thank you again 🙂

I like the idea of wheeling around the garden to optimize space or sun that’s really a nice feature. It’s also nice that there’s a plastic cover, keeps the critters out. I’m just taking a little break, all packed, house cleaned…will just quickly edit fridge and Bob’s your uncle. Wew, 14 days of no chores! Only sunshine, hugs and laughter in the forecast xoxo K BTW, at this very moment in Edmonton, it’s doing this: Giant wet snow flakes..more like raining slush. HA

Hi! I bought a few City Pickers boxes during winter when they were on sale and am excited to plant tomatoes in 2 of them this weekend. I was wondering how many tomato plants you put in 1 box? I put 9 herbs in my other box and that has worked well, but I’m worried that tomatoes can grow so much! Would you suggest 2? 4? Thank you so much 🙂

Thanks for stopping by. Best of luck with your tomatoes. So glad you bought your City Picker son sale.

Last year I planted (thinned) to 4 -6 plants per pot, 3 on each side. It worked out well. Be sure to stake early. I didn’t…and regretted it. It seemed the were five inches, then 24 inches in a matter of a week.

Hi, this is Wendy checking in again! I planted 3 stupice tomatoes per box last year with good results. This year, I went for 4 cherry and grape varieties per box and it has exploded! Such a great harvest and delicious as well. Thanks for the tip last year =)

I actually cut holes first, then planted the seeds. They need the light to do well. The overflow holes are both sides of the shorter ends. It looks like a narrow, half circle, located at the bottom of the City Picker under the drainage grid.

Well that is a bummer, but I sure know how that goes. Our squirrels don’t seem interested in the tomatoes, per se, but they love the sunflowers, the young pumpkin shoots and the pumpkins themselves once ripe.

Hi! I bought 2 city pickers last week. I have a question though. I put my tomato starter plants in and 1 zucchini starter plant. After day 3, my plants looked limp and in need of water. I have kept the water reservoir full. Did u water from the top for the first few days or no? The directions never said to do so but I panicked and had to give some water from top. They perked up in a few hours. Am I doing something wrong here? Any advice? I followed all directions and packed corners well..

I did water from the top for a few days. My guess is that I didn’t moisten the soil enough for starters. The point of the reservoir is to get the roots to reach down, so like you, I was afraid it would backfire. Water sparingly from the top and make sure your reservoir remains full. Did you mulch as well?

I followed the exact directions on the packaging….added the lime and fertilizer. I went all organic. I also put the plastic cover on. I guess time will tell. They are ok so far. I have watered sparingly on the top….just a sip for them haha. Maybe I didn’t moisten my soil enough as well and I am in AZ so it’s been 90* the last couple days UGH.

You live in a hot, dry climate, so you may need to modify accordingly. The benefit of these planters is that you add all the ingredients at once, then find a way to water at the roots. I think I watered at the surface for awhile since the roots are initially shallow. The good news is that once your sort it out for this season, you’ll know what works best for you in years to come.

I live in the CA desert. Today’s temp in the 90’s. I have two city pickers with tomatos. I am always concerned that there is sufficient water. There are times when I will notice a pool of water under the boxes (I have them on tables) I check the overflow holes but it doesn’t seem like that is where the water is coming from.
Also, do you think it is advisable to use black plastic mulch covers when temps get really high?
Thanks

Hi Larry, Tomatoes like it hot, so many growers encourage mulch to keep the soil moist and conversely, to keep the moisture from evaporating. Your box may have a leak. One way to determine that is to place four small containers under the box, then check often to see if one of them is filling up. If you over water, it could flow from the top. Interesting. Let me know if you try this and see what happens.

Finally, let the plant do the talking. If the plant droops after you change something, i.e. remove the mulch, change the watering schedule, etc. then modify. I’ve also seen red mulch covers used for tomato growing, though I’ve not tried it myself. Best of luck.

Larry: I’m in Oklahoma and only use the black plastic until June 1st. Then I remove it and use plain white plastic. I actually use the white plastic the HD and Lowe’s give you free to protect your car from soil and water.

Hello. Thank you so much for sharing the detailed pictures. I’m new to gardening and am feeling encouraged already :). The Texas heat is quite unforgiving and has kept me from gardening all these years. I plan to change that this year :). Can you please go over the stakes need for tomatoes? If I plant the ones they sell at the Home Depot, which are already a few inches tall, should I put in the stakes at the same time?
Also, what do I need to do to reuse the containers for next year?

PS at the end of the season, when it’s all died back, you can simple dump the contents of the box and let the boxes air out for next year. Then next year you’ll restart the process for optimum success.

Actually you don’t need to dump the contents of the box at the end of the season. The City Pickers instructions say you can use the same soil for 4-6 seasons before replacing it. You will need to add new dolomite and fertilizer before replanting.

Thanks, Emmel. I found that the roots were so entangled in the box that I couldn’t easily plant again without starting fresh. I wanted to put the boxes away for the seaons, so perhaps if I left the soil as is, it would have decomposed the roots enough for the following season.

I grew 2 tomato plants per box last year and they exploded with fruit. Then I got lazy at the end of the season and didn’t clean out the boxes with tomatoes, just let them die off and dry up.

Sometime in March I pulled out what remained of the dry plant stems and some big roots came out as well. Used a hand sized garden hoe to aerate the soil at that time and pick out any other big root chunks, then left it with the mulch cover on until this past weekend.

I aerated the soil again, moistened it heavily, then added the layer of dolomite and fertilizer strip as directed. Looks pretty good and the soil composted what was left of the roots from last year, so it helped add nutrients a bit 🙂 Alternatively, you could dump out the dirt into a compost pile to give it a new life. Better than wasting!

I cut a piece of landscape fabric to fit the inside before I filled with mix. This not only stops the roots from becoming entangled in the aeration “floor”, but because it keeps the roots from actually growing down into the water, it also helps keeps the flavors of your crops better. If the roots sit in water, the fruits/veggies will acquire a weak, hydroponic flavor… really a lack of flavor.

Any stakes will do, but keep in mind that you won’t be able to stake them the way you would in the ground. You might want to create a four point system, then lean them all toward the center. Does that make sense?

Hello. I went ahead and got 2 city pickers and am done with planting in one. Did all peppers, 6 different types. Will do 3 tomato plants in the other one tomorrow. I noticed a couple of things. First 1.5 cubic feet of potting mix was not enough for me to bring the soil level above the box surface. After the garden lime, fertilizer and all the potting mix, the level was still about half an inch below the surface. Second, I planted Bonnie plants and they were quite big. I had to stick my fingers in the holes through the mulch cover and just kept digging and digging to make room for the plants. I’m now concerned that they arent deep enough and the roots might actually be above the soil surface. Don’t really know what I should do at this time.

Gave my City Picker tomatos (Carolina Gold) a huge jump start by using those inexpensive large Christmas ornament totes from Lowes or HD to make a City Pickers greenhouse. Just turned one upside down and found that the edges match very nicely, with just enough venting. Carefully drilled 1/2″ holes at the top to let the tomato stakes poke out. I would post pictures if wanted.

I don’t see the photo, but I Googled the container and get what you did. Very clever! I’m in the Bay Area where it’s still quite chilly right now, so I think I’ll give that a try to warm up my tomatoes 🙂

I don’t see your photo attached, but generally speaking, you should be able to add a photo to a comment. Perhaps it has to link somewhere first, like Google. In any event, thank you. It looks like your idea is catching on.

I am from the Boston area and I just purchased my first city picker container at home depot. After I got home and opened the container I realized the instructions said you need dolomite and fertilizer. I only have purchased the potting mix with the container. Have you or anyone planted without dolomite? After planting my tomato, and cilantro plant I went out and got Dr Earth Home Grown Tomato Vegetable Herb Fertilizer. Is it too late to mix it in? I am a newbie to gardening and have no idea where to start. I just hope these plants survive! I also cannot find dolomite at any of my home depot or lowe’s. They carry garden for hydrangea so I am not sure if that is safe for vegatable gardening.

Congratulations on starting a garden! You’re going to have fun and please don’t worry. I often wonder why Home Depot doesn’t display the additional items needed to get your Earth Box going. It’s a lost opportunity for them.

Dolomite is another name for lime stone. It provides nutrients and raises the soil’s PH to make it more conducive to gardening. That said, I’ve planted vegetables for years using rich potting soil or potting mix without any problems. The reason they have you mix things into the soil at the start is both to help establish the plant and to make the process easier. It means you don’t have to do anything else all season with the exception of watering and staking the plants. I would suggest just leaving your plants as is so that you don’t disturb the roots, or, following the directions on Dr. Earth, mix in some to the top soil without disturbing the roots. Best of luck, and please check in and let me know how it goes. Alys

Thanks! Now do I have to water everyday, I am so afraid to over water. The soil seems moist underneath but some of the top layers looks dry. It’s been in the high 80’s in Boston so I pour more water into the spout until water spilled out of the container. But I am not sure if I should water the top too? I did not get the same Dr. Earth fertilizer you posted. The one I have said it’s for tomato, vegetable, and herb fertilizer and I also did not do the trench like the way the patio city picker said. I sprinkled it into the potting mix around the tomato, cilantro, and chili pepper plant and I used (miracle gro potting mix). Hope I did not make any mistakes here at this point…

As long as you followed package directions for fertilizer application, I’m sure you’ll be fine.

It’s ok to let your vegetables dry out in between watering. If anything, it will encourage them to shoot roots down toward the water trough which is what you want. If the plants are falling over wilting, then you’ll need to water from the top. Otherwise, you want to encourage them to grow down.

You can. You’ll have to cut larger holes in the plastic mulch to stretch over the plants but otherwise the system still works. I would cut x’s so that the corners can fold back onto the soil after you pull the plastic over your starter plants. Does that make sense?

This is an older thread…but hoping someone still reads it! I just got these. I’m in Kansas and wanted to plant peas and carrots from seed in them. Do you think the plastic cover is necessary? It seems like I’d be making so many little holes for all those plants since you plant those seeds like 1-2″ apart…or do you recommend only planting plants in them? Thank you!

If you follow the guidelines for planting, it really works. The plastic cover is intergral because it keeps the soil evenly moist, raises the temperature of the soil and prevents erosion. I found that I needed to water from the top for awhile, but the goal is to encourage deep roots. Once you’ve added the lime and fertilizer and planted your seeds, the cover keeps it all together. You might want to space your carrots farther apart this season and see how they do so you don’t need as many holes, then adjust accordingly next season. Best of luck, and please report back. Alys

thank you! we moved recently to a new house with no garden yet. I was hoping to get everything in the actual ground but we haven’t gotten beds built yet so I know I’m a bit late and got these as a gift to try until we get the beds in. I will follow the instructions! Thank you! you are so nice to reply to everyone!

If you are starting seeds this late, might want to use white plastic instead of black. Carrot seed germination is best at 50-80 F , so black plastic might over cook them if you wait too long in season to start. All big box garden centers have the free white plastic to protect you car from dirty plant flats. That stuff works great in a city picker box.

I just replaced the ratty original black plastic cover after 3 seasons and simply used a white kitchen garbage bag that I cut open and tucked into the dirt at the side of the boxes. With the white plastic, I can really see the humidity that the plastic causes!

yes I’m a bit late! we moved recently and haven’t gotten beds built yet…I have a toddler and the only vegetable he will eat willingly is peas so I really want to get pea plants growing with him! I will try white instead!

I am moving a little grown up plant from miracle grow hydroponic system to the planters. Since the tomato plant is grown to about 9 inches now, I am having difficulty using the black plastic sheet. I am keeping the planters systems indoor with LED lights and also near my window that gives sunlight. Is the black sheet really necessary?

The plastic sheet serves as mulch. It’s designed to keep the moisture in and also acts as a weed barrier.Since you’re growing indoors you most likely will have less soil evaporation and certainly no weeds. If you want to use the cover to reduce the amount of watering try this:

Using old newspaper or a paper bag, make a circle template that mimics the circumference of your plant. Trace that circle onto the black plastic mulch in the area that will cover the tomato plant. Then instead of cutting out the circle, cut from the center toward the circle like spokes in a wheel. Then you can pull this over the plant gently and it will lie in place under the plant. Best of luck and please let me know what you do.

I live in minnesota. I tried city picker to grow tomato, cilantro and sunflower. I used organic compost mixer instead of potting mix. My soil is always moist but, hardly 1 or 2 seeds have germinated. I used dolomite and fertilizer as mentioned. It’s been almost 3 weeks and I see hardly 5 to 6 plants … not sure what is wrong with my experiment.. please help me

Hi Kavi. Here are a few things to consider. One, are the seeds still there? I’ve had a similar experience with sunflowers, and it turned out that a squirrel or bird made off with them. If you gently scratch the surface, you’ll be able to see if something is slowly germinating. There are many reasons seeds don’t germinate. Here are a few: They might be planted too deeply, they might be hiding under the plastic mulch and therefore not getting any light or they might simply not be viable. Sometimes older seeds don’t grow. If you rule out all of these things, check to see that soil isn’t too wet. That will rot the seeds or drown the seedlings.

I wish you the best of like. Please don’t get discouraged. Sleuthing the problem can be part of the challenges of gardening. Please let me know what you discover. Alys

Is this a good product for central Florida, 90s during the summer,,, it seems like the plastic sheeting will increase the heat to the soil/mixl and then dry our faster???? any help would be appreciated..

Hi Fredrick, I live in San Jose, California and we too get some scorching hot days. The idea for this system is to encourage watering from below so that the roots of your plants head down and not up. The plastic mulch keeps the soil warm and moist to reduce loss of moisture. As with many things in gardening, sometimes you just have to experiment. Best of luck, fellow gardener. Please check back and let me know how your box performed. Alys

Trying this patio pickers box for the first time straight from seeds. My two year old wants cherry tomatoes, carrots, and peas. Would you suggest tomatoes in one and peas and carrots in the other? In the directions it also talks about seedlings instead of seeds. So would 3-4 cherry tomato seedlings be a certain number of seeds? Dad trying to learn for the little guy. Thanks!

Peas and carrots grow during the cool season, so perhaps you can plant those together, one set per box, in the fall. (I’m not sure what zone you are in, but that’s important to know, too). Different gardening zones have different planting requirements based on first and last frost, etc. Since we are going into summer (and assuming you’re in the northern hemisphere and not the south), tomatoes are a wonderful first crop. Seedlings already have leaves, so when you plant them they’ll protrude above the plastic mulch. Small seedlings or nursery starter plants come in a variety of sizes. I once planted three tomatoes in one pot, but the plant gets quite large. You’ll need to provide stakes or a trellis for your tomato vine to grow on. Do it at the time you plant. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your plants will grow once the heat sets in. Best of luck and please report back your progress. What fun to be gardening with a little one. Alys

Thank you Alys, for this wonderful blog! I started at the beginning and read the entire thing and EVERY question I had was answered! I used patio pickers last year and planted too many tomatoes (3 in one box and 2 tomatoes and 2 peppers in another), and had a terrible time with blossom end rot, BUT still had a bumper crop! This year I’m going 2 tomatoes in each box (with a marigold, of course) and the peppers in separate pots! I discovered I can use a white garbage bag this year with clips, because of this blog! I am excited!

Hello Nancy, You made my day! It’s been wonderful having so many people comment and share their experiences on this post. Thank you for sharing yours. Best of luck with this season’s tomato crop. There is nothing that says summer to me like fresh tomatoes from your own garden.

Hi,
I recently purchased two City Pickers boxes (yesterday). I planted three tomato seedlings which I started from seeds in separate pots, and I filled the City Pickers with Kellog Garden Soil. After further research, it turns out that the soil I filled it with does not have the ingredients required for wicking. Will my plants still grow with this soil in the City Pickers, or will I have to water them from the top?

Hi Shea, I would water from the top if the plants seem to be struggling, but if the soil was nice and moist when you started, and if you continue to water by filling the reservoir to encourage the roots to grow down I think you’ll be okay. Did you add the mulch/plastic cover to keep the moisture in and the soil warm? Alys

I think the general rule of thumb is to place the fertilizer near, but not on top of the plant or seed. The fertilizer will gradually release into the soil with watering and should be good for the season of your tomato plants. I hope that helps. Another way to think of this is to lay down a strip of fertilizer next to each planting.

I purchased two of the City Pickers last year and they worked ok but I could see that I packed them with too many plants so did not get a great yield. This year I bought two more so the plants would have more room to spread. Because I threw out the black plastic cover from the boxes I bought last year, I cut up an old shower liner and that has worked pretty well. My question is whether the covers should be left on indefinitely, or do I take them off once the plants are well established? I have two beefsteak tomatoes in one (growing like crazy), a cherry and two roma tomato plants in another, two zucchini plants in a third, and the fourth has a cucumber and red pepper plant. All seem to be doing well, except that the red pepper and the zucchini plants aren’t blossoming yet. I’m wondering if they need the mulch covers off or if I just need to be patient (not my strong suit). We live in southeast Michigan and have a small desk so these boxes are great and I’m having a lot of fun fussing over them.

Hello Mary. I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying your City Pickers and growing veggies on your deck. The black plastic cover is intended to act as a mulch. The dark color blocks weeds and retains moisture. I imagine the shower curtain will do the same. You can leave it in place (as I have done). Peppers take longer to grow then most tomatoes, so give them more time. If zucchini are like pumpkins they will grow a male and a female flower. You need both for cross pollination. If you don’t have bees on your deck, you can self-pollinate with a Q-tip.

There can be a lot of variables from year to year with sun, wind, pests, etc. Some people start over with the contents of the box (soil, lime, fertilizer). Vegetables deplete the nutrients in the soil which is why many people who grow veg like to rotate crops. You might try removing the top two inches, adding new lime and fertilizer, and then see how that goes. You can also buy replacement covers if you feel yours is shot, or you can seal the holes with tape if you think that’s the problem. Best of luck!

If you don’t have the mulch cover for the city picker planter, can you use heavy plastic or landscape fabric on the top. Trying to decide whether to put a top on or leave it off. I am starting over with new soil this year and don’t have a cover. Thanks!

You can purchase additional covers if you like the convenience of the fitted elastic and the pre-made hole for the watering tube. If not, you can make your own but you’ll need to secure it around the edges to keep the moisture in and the weeds out to make it work with the system. That said, mulch can be made using thick layers of organic material so you can give that a try. Let me know how you get on and good luck. There is nothing so delicious as a tomato fresh from the garden. Alys

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I'm passionate about gardening, organizing, blogging and cats. I live in Silicon Valley, California with my husband of 24 years. We have two grown sons, but our feline family varies. The current count is three.